Princess Claire tweets a photo

In the last few minutes, HRH Princess Claire of Belgium tweeted this photo of Prince Laurent surrounded by his family.

@HRH Princess Claire of Belgium

Prince Georg Friedrich to attend Prince Michael's funeral

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, head of the Imperial House of Germany, will attend the funeral of his uncle (and godfather), Prince Michael of Prussia, who died on April 3 at the age of 74.   He will be accompanied by his wife, Princess Sophie.

The funeral for  Prince Michael, the second child of the late Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and Grand Duchess Kira of Russia, will take place tomorrow, April 11, at the Lutheran chapel at Burg Hohenzollern.  It is not yet known where the prince's final resting place will be.  He will be cremated.  It is reported that the family desires Prince Michael's remains to be placed at Burg Hohenzollern, but this has not been confirmed by Prince Georg Friedrich's office in Berlin.

Prince Michael and his older brother, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, lost their dynastic rights in the 1960s, due to unapproved marriages.  The third son, Prince Louis Ferdinand, became the heir.  In 1975, he married Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen.  Two years later, he was killed in a tragic military accident, leaving behind his widow, pregnant with their second child, and a young, Prince Georg Friedrich.  (Donata gave birth to a daughter, Princess Cornelie-Cecile, in January 1978.)

Georg Friedrich's grandfather, Prince Louis Ferdinand, died in 1994.  He became the head of the family, although was subjected to discourse by his two elder uncles, both of whom tried to claim that their second marriages, to Ehrengard von Reden, and Birgitte von Dallwitz, were acceptable. (This was not the case.  The princes lost their rights at the time of their first marriages to German commoners.)  

There were challenges to Louis Ferdinand's will, but, eventually, at great financial cost, Prince Georg Friedrich prevailed.  None of his three paternal uncles, Princes Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince Michael and Prince Christian Sigismund) attended his wedding.

http://www.zak.de/artikel/203340

Prince Michael's of Prussia's death notice

Palace continues to deny reports of suicide attempt

Belgian palace officials continue to deny the persistent rumors swirling around the real reason for Prince Laurent's hospitalization.  

Officials insist Prince Laurent, younger brother of King Philippe, was hospitalized because he was suffering from pneumonia.  Prince Laurent was released from St. Luc-University Hospital in Brussels on Tuesday, and is now back at his home, Villa Clementine, with his wife, Princess Claire, and their three children.

If Palace official are lying about the true reason for Laurent's hospitalization,  the truth will surely come out.  If Laurent did attempt suicide, he should be open about it.  As a prince, unfortunately much maligned at present,  Laurent could become a spokesman, a face for what depression can do to a person, even a well-to-do prince of Belgium.  By going public, and speaking out,  Prince Laurent can only help himself, and, perhaps, offer hope to others in similar situations.   This would be the case if the report about suicide attempt is true. 

Pneumonia is a nasty illness, very treatable.  I had it once.  People who are run down, not eating properly, are good candidates for catching colds, which can quickly develop into bronchitis and pneumonia.  (In my case, I am susceptible to upper respiratory infections.)

It would be far better for the Palace to offer a serious and well-thought out response to these rumors, rather than hide behind comments about the privacy of Prince Laurent and Princess Claire. 

Irene on her own says Dutch government

April 9, 1964

The Dutch Government announce tonight that Princess Irene  will remain "second in line of succession to the throne until the day she married," but the Cabinet "could not" take the "political responsibility for her activities," reports the New York Times.

The statement was made "in the form of a note to Parliament."  If Parliament approves the note next Tuesday, the Dutch Cabinet "can no longer be criticized" if Princess Irene becomes involved "in Spanish politics," supporting the claim to the Spanish throne by her fiancé, Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma.

Should the note be approved,  Princess Irene will be "regarded by the Government as if she were already married."  The Dutch Government made it clear that Princess Irene, second daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, should have "refrained from political activities" before her wedding.

Princess Irene could not accept this position.  The primary reason for the conflict between Princess Irene and her parents and the Government is her "desire" to take part in the annual demonstration of the "Carlist movement" in Spain on May 3.

Carlists believe Prince Xavier, the father of Prince Carlos, is the "rightful" King of Spain.

Bulletin: Queen Isabel dead

April 9, 1904

Former Queen Isabel of Spain died today in Paris at 9:45 a.m.,  reports the New York Times.   The cause of death was "influenza with complications.

The late queen was the grandmother of King Alfonso XIII.  Her daughters, Infantas Isabel, Eulalia, Paz, and her husband, Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria, "were summoned when the end was near," but the dying former sovereign "did not recognize them."

As the Papal Nuncio was not in Paris, the final sacraments were administered by the Vicar of the Church of St. Pierre administered the final sacraments.   Queen Isabel died shortly afterward.

Prince Ferdinand "telegraphed" the news of Isabel's death to King Alfonso, the French foreign minister, and "to all the European sovereigns.

The American Embassy, across from the Palace de Castille on the Avenue Kléber, Queen Isabel's residence, was among the first to be informed of the queen's death.  Ambassador Porter was "among the first to call and sign the palace register."

It is understood that King Alfonso was "desirous of attending the funeral," but several Spanish ministers did not wish for the King to leave the country.

With Queen Isabel's death, the "final curtain has fallen on a life" of "romance, scandal, court intrigue and stormy episodes."

Infanta Maria Isabel Luisa was born in Madrid on October 10, 1830, the daughter of King Ferdinando VII of Spain and his fourth wife, Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

The King "heeding the "urgent solicitations" of his wife,  revoked the Salic law, with the "sanction of the Cortes," making Isabel the heir apparent to the throne, replacing Ferdinando's brother, Don Carlos.

Isabel was only three years old when her father died.  Maria Cristina was named as Regent during her minority.  This action led to the first Carlist "uprising," which led to Don Carlos' banishment.

The political problems continued as the Carlist struggle "tended to stimulate political feeling," leading to further "partisan differences."  Eventually, the Queen Regent "retreated into France," leaving Spain with a dictatorial government.

Three years later, thirteen-year-old Isabel was proclaimed the reigning monarch by the Cortes, thus becoming the "tool of contending factions."

At this time, Queen Maria Cristina began the search for a husband for Isabel, who was "forced against her will" to marry her first cousin, Don Francesco d'Asis, Duke of Cadiz, elder son of Ferdinando VII's youngest brother.

The marriage was an "unfortunate one," and Queen Isabel's "conduct caused no end of gossip," throughout Europe.

Two years after her marriage, in 1848, new "insurrectionary movements" arose leading to further political problems.  Riots, uprisings, and rebellions led to "the very doors of the royal palace at Madrid."

The Queen's private life continued to provoke "general discontent" throughout the country.   A new revolution broke out in September 1868.  Two years, later, Isabel renounced her throne in favor of her only son, Alfonso XII, father of the present king.

She fled to Paris where she remained "a conspicuous figure in social life," and enjoyed "great popularity on account of her frank, generous disposition."  She was long separated from her husband, who died in 1902.

Queen Isabel's survivors included her three daughters,  Infanta Isabel, Infanta Paz, and Infanta Eulalia.

Prince Laurent: discharged from hospital

Prince Laurent of Belgium has been discharged from St. Luc-University Hospital and is now recuperating at his home, Villa Clementine, according an official palace statement.  He left the hospital sometime on Tuesday.

Laurent, the youngest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola, was hospitalized for more than three weeks, ostensibly for pneumonia.  He was placed in an artificial coma for several days.

Rumors about the prince's true medical condition continue to be published in the Belgian and Dutch newspapers and magazines. One Dutch magazine, Privé was the first to report that Laurent tried to commit suicide at Villa Clementine, and was first placed in the psychiatric ward before being transferred to intensive care.   There has been no official confirmation of the magazine's report.

Laurent's brother, King Philippe, fired King Albert and Queen Paola's official spokesman Vincent Pardoen, who released Queen Paola's statement after King Philippe made it clear that all statements regarding Laurent's health would come from his office. 

In the statement, released on April 4 to the Belgian news agency, Belga,  Queen Paola wrote that Laurent was her most "vulnerable" child. 

The palace did not approve of this release, and Pardoen was relieved of his duties.

On Monday night, Queen Paola, who was present for the screening of a new film about child abuse, confided to a source that Prince Laurent is now "okay."



http://www.sudinfo.be/980820/article/2014-04-08/la-terrible-rumeur-le-prince-laurent-aurait-tente-de-mettre-fin-a-ses-jours-avan

http://www.sudinfo.be/980618/article/2014-04-08/le-prince-laurent-a-quitte-l-hopital-en-toute-discretion-son-etat-de-sante-est-j

Prince Michael of Prussia's funeral arrangements

Friends and family of the late Prince Michael of Prussia will be able to pay their respects tomorrow (Thursday) at the Lutheran church at Burg Hohenzollern.

Prince Michael, the second son of the late Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, died on April 3 in a hospital in Sindelfingen, Germany.    He was 74 years old. 

The body will be in repose from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.   A private funeral will be held in the chapel on Friday. 

http://www.swp.de/hechingen/lokales/hechingen/Kondolenzbuch-liegt-aus;art5612,2543274

Archduke Karl visits Crown Prince Alexander

@HRH Crown Prince Alexander

 

 

Archduke Karl of Austria at the Royal Palace

 Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine welcomed today for lunch at the Royal Palace Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses Archduke Karl and Archduke Georg of Austria, the grandsons of the last Austro-Hungarian Emperor Charles I.

His Royal and Imperial Highness Archduke Karl von Habsburg is the President of the Pan-European movement of Austria, visiting Serbia as the guest of the European Wine Knights of Serbia. Before the meeting with HRH Crown Prince Alexander, the Archduke gave a lecture at Belgrade University Rectorate, on "The parliamentary system in the European Union and support for Serbia on the road to European integration". He also had meetings with His Holiness Patriarch Irinej, President Nikolic, and the outgoing Prime Minister Dacic.

HRH Crown Prince Alexander and His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Karl of Austria exchanged views on the further integration process of Serbia towards the European Union, as well as other current economic and cultural issues relevant to the development of the South-East European region.

No discharge for Prince Laurent

Prince Laurent has been hospitalized for nearly three weeks now, and according to Belgian sources, he is now out of intensive care.  The youngest child of King Albert and Queen Paola, Prince Laurent has been a patient at the St. Luc University Hospital in Brussels, where he is being treated for pneumonia.

He remains under care, with no plans for a release date.    But there might be a new job for Prince Laurent after he regains his health. One Belgian source is reporting that the palace has approached the UN FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) on Laurent's behalf.  He would become a Goodwill Ambassador for the organization.

Prince Michael of Prussia has died

Prince Michael of Prussia, second son of the late Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and Grand Duchess Kira of Russia, died on April 3.  He was 74 years old.


http://www.swp.de/hechingen/lokales/hechingen/Prinz-Michael-ist-tot;art5612,2540805

Queen Paola releases statement on Prince Laurent

Queen Paola of the Belgians has released a statement about her youngest child, Prince Laurent, who has been hospitalized since March 21, ostensibly for pneumonia.

The statement was released on Wednesday, April 2.  Queen Paola and King Albert visited their son on Tuesday.

"Yesterday after our visit to the St. Luc Hospital my husband and I were very moved to see our son, Laurent,  and to discover that due to an experienced medical team his condition has improved and he has awakened from his artificial coma. As concerned parents, we have followed his condition every day.  We are especially concerned about his future.  After leaving the hospital, Laurent should build up a new life with Claire, Louise, Nicolas and Aymeric, where he can be himself and feel valued, with our support and help.
At the moment, Laurent, of all my children, is the most vulnerable,  and I give him all my attention and affection.
Since he was admitted to St. Luc Hospital, my husband and I are in constant contact with Claire, who we value and love very much, along with the excellent medical team taking care of Laurent."

Louise to live with Donna Elvira

April 2, 1898

London newspapers are still "gossiping" about Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha reports the Chicago Daily Tribune.  The estranged wife of Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha eloped with Lt. Geza Mettachich.  The "smart set" was much surprised when published statements noted that the Princess' allowance was only $1,600 a year, as her husband is said to be worth $4,000,000.

Princess Louise is living as Mme Leman, and there are reports she will come to America to join Donna Elvira, the daughter of Don Carlos de Bourbon, who eloped with Count Folchi, said to be a "cousin of Archbishop Folchi, Vice-Chamberlain of the pontifical court."

Confusion over death of Orth

April 2, 1924

The story of the recently deceased "John Orth," has become more convoluted, reports the New York Times.  Based on conversations with his "New York friends, who believe he was the "long missing" Archduke Johann Salvator of Austria, the trail led today to a tin box in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and a "letter said to be deposited in the Vatican."  This letter will be opened on February 23, 1927.

Orth's friends say the box contains "documentary proof" that Orth was the second cousin of the late Austrian Emperor Franz Josef.  The letter is "presumed to throw new light" on the death of Crown Prince Rudolf at Mayerling, " and Johann Salvator's role in that tragedy.

But no proof has come to light to prove that "the man who died from heart disease at Columbus Hospital" on Monday was a member of the former ruling family of Austria.   There is "circumstantial" evidence that he was not an impostor and an inquiry "in many quarters failed to shake the claims of his supporters."

"John Orth's" body remains at the undertaker's on West 165th Street.  By his side is Miss Grace Wakefield, who for twenty-five years, was his war.  Several hours after his death, she killed herself in her bath.

A friend of Orth, Vicomte de Frise said his body "will lie in state" at St. Andrew's Church on  Fifth Avenue and 127th Street.  The pastor of the church,. Dr. A.E. Ribourg knew "John Orth" for years, and believed he was Archduke Johann Salvator.

The Vicomte said that "many persons of noble birth" would attend the funeral, including Mme Francis de Spilassy and Princess Marie de Bourbon, who believed that Orth was the archduke.

Another longtime friend, Mrs. Charlotte Fairchild, has disclosed more facts about Miss Wakefield.  She "disposed of the rumor" that she was "Orth's morganatic wife.  She knew the man as John Orlow and she said he "never traded on his supposed royal blood."

"Miss Wakefield was the daughter of Andrew Wakefield of Seattle,"  Mrs. Fairchild said.  She believes that he was formally Andrew Wachfeld, an Austrian.   He and Orth were intimate friends, and in his death, he "left a wife and three daughters and placed them in Orth's care."

Two the daughters 'married well."   Only Grace remained with him until his death.   Mrs. Fairchild said she died of a broken heart. "When I told her of her guardian's death on Monday, she said: 'That's the end.  There's nothing left for me."

According to Mrs. Fairchild,  Orth left all of his possessions, including three boxes of "art treasures" to Miss Wakefield, who died intestate.    Orth left debts amounting to about $4000, which will be "satisfied" by the sale of his prints, pictures, and furniture."

She added: "Incidentally, on the back of the note in which Miss Wakefield asked me that she be cremated with her pets, which she drowned, was penciled 'Archduke Johann Salvator' in Orth's handwriting.  That was the one and only time I had observed his signature on this form."

Albert and Paola visit Prince Laurent

Having returned from their trip abroad, King Albert and Queen Paola, accompanied by their daughter, Princess Astrid, visited their younger son, Prince Laurent, at the St. Luc-University hospital in Brussels on Tuesday.

Prince Laurent has been in the hospital since March 21.  He is being treated for pneumonia.  

Laurent's wife, Princess Claire, has been at his bedside every day.  King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were unable to visit yesterday.  They were in Bruges with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Prince Laurent continues to improve, according to a palace statement.

http://www.lesoir.be/510327/article/actualite/belgique/2014-04-01/roi-albert-et-reine-paola-ont-rendu-visite-au-prince-laurent-v%C3%ADdeo